PHILADELPHIA — When Ryan Collins arrived at the University of Minnesota this summer for an early start to his college career, his “teammate host” was defenseman Mike Reilly, a junior-to-be and a 2011 Blue Jackets draft pick.

A friendship quickly formed.

“I’ve spent a lot of time at the Reilly house,” Collins said yesterday. “He’s such a good guy, and his sister (Caitlin) is my age. They’ve made the transition to college a lot easier.”

Maybe Reilly will turn out to be Collins’ teammate host at the next level, too.

The Blue Jackets drafted Collins with the 17th pick in the second round (No. 47 overall) at the Wells Fargo Center yesterday, a choice that set off a flurry of texts and tweets.

“Mike said, ‘This is so cool, Ryan. This is going to be so great,’ ” Collins said. “He’s already told me all about the organization, some of the players, what (development camp) is like, the arena, the city. …

“We’re going to have a lot to talk about for many years to come.”

That’s not the only Blue Jackets connection.

Collins was a teammate in the U.S. national team development program of forward Sonny Milano, the Blue Jackets’ first-round pick.

“I couldn’t ask for a better situation,” Collins said. “Sonny is a great player. I mean, a great player.

“I’ve seen what Columbus is building. They’re one of the up-and-coming teams. I’m going to work hard to get there as soon as possible.”

Collins is 6 feet 5 and weighs 205 pounds. He is rangy yet physical, makes a crisp first pass and is a pretty good skater for someone his size.

Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said he spent the better part of yesterday morning trying to move up in the draft order.

“I didn’t think we had any chance to get Collins at No. 47, not with his size and skill set,” Kekalainen said. “We got lucky on this one.”

The Blue Jackets traded the first of their two third-round picks (No. 63 overall) to Detroit for another third-round pick (No. 76) this season and a third-round pick in the 2015 draft, which is expected to be strong.

The Jackets now have a first-round pick, two seconds and three thirds next year.

“That’s good; they’re valuable,” Kekalainen said. “You never know how you can use those picks … maybe at the trade deadline.”

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